The Queen of Air and Darkness is a powerful and enigmatic entity in the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse, ruling over the Unseelie Court of the Feywild. As a being of pure darkness and malevolence, she stands as a counterpart to Titania, the benevolent ruler of the Seelie Court. The Queen of Air and Darkness is often depicted as an ominous presence cloaked in shadows, her true form shrouded in mystery.
Biography[]
Background[]
The Queen of Air and Darkness was once a fey noble of unparalleled beauty and grace, said to be Titania’s sister. However, her fate took a dark turn when she discovered a mysterious black diamond deep within the Feywild. This artifact, rumored to be of extraplanar or even godlike origin, corrupted her mind and soul, twisting her into a being of cruelty, hatred, and shadow. She abandoned her old life and embraced the power of darkness, founding the Unseelie Court to oppose the Seelie Court’s influence.
As the ruler of the Unseelie Fey, she thrives on deception, despair, and suffering. Unlike Titania, who promotes joy and harmony, the Queen of Air and Darkness encourages fear, chaos, and the destruction of all things beautiful. Many of her followers include dark fey, shadowy beings, and mortals who have succumbed to her temptations.
History[]
Once, the Queen of Air and Darkness was the sister of Queen Titania, ruler of the fey, in the land of Ladinion. But one day a group of dwarves, who had been mining in a mountain to the south, brought to the Seelie Court a great, ten-faceted black diamond they had found as a gift for the fey queen. However, Titania was away swimming that day so her sister accepted the gift. This diamond began to corrupt her, transforming her nature, and one day she took the diamond and other magical treasures and left in a chariot of smoke and fire that was said to have appeared out of the sky. Some time later the mountain that the dwarves were mining exploded, slaying the dwarves and causing sickening smoke to cover the land.
Possessions[]
The Black Diamond, sometimes called the Night Diamond, was an artifact of immense power and evil of unknown origin. It sat atop her throne in the Unseelie Court and was the source of her corruption and power.
Divine Realm[]
The Queen of Air and Darkness ruled over the Unseelie Court, the divine realm of the fey pantheon of the same name, which accounts variously placed as being either in Phlegethon in Pandemonium or in the Plane of Faerie.
Relationships[]
The Queen of Air and Darkness reigned over the Unseelie Court, the foes of the Seelie Court. She was opposed by the elven deities of Seldarine, namely Corellon Larethian, Erevan Ilesere, Rillifane Rallathil, Sehanine Moonbow, Solonor Thelandira, and Angharradh. To them, she personified the corruption that could grow even in those of fey lineage.
Auril the Frostmaiden was believed to be synonymous with the Queen of Air and Darkness by some communities of fey, such as those of the Shiverpine Forest in the Deep Wilds.
Worshipers[]
She was served by unseelie fey, including brambles, quicklings, and spriggans. She was also known to have a fondness for yeth hounds and hell hounds.
The glouras, fey beings of the Underdark, had ties to the Queen of Air and Darkness and the Unseelie Court.
Personality[]
Cold, manipulative, and utterly ruthless, the Queen of Air and Darkness lacks compassion and thrives on the suffering of others. She rarely interacts directly with mortals, preferring to act through agents, spies, and cursed artifacts. Her influence extends across the Feywild, the Shadowfell, and even into the Material Plane, where she tempts mortals with forbidden power.
Characteristics[]
Powers and Abilities[]
As a being of near-divine status, the Queen of Air and Darkness possesses incredible magical abilities, including:
- Shadow Manipulation: She can command darkness itself, cloaking entire regions in eternal night.
- Illusions and Enchantment: Her magic can twist reality, drive mortals insane, and lure them into her service.
- Control Over the Unseelie Fey: She commands countless dark fey, including malevolent hags, redcaps, and fearsome shadow creatures.
- Corruption: She can plant seeds of despair and darkness in even the purest hearts, slowly turning them to evil.
- Immortality: As a powerful archfey, she does not age and cannot be permanently destroyed by conventional means.
Weaknesses[]
Though immensely powerful, the Queen of Air and Darkness has vulnerabilities:
- The Black Diamond: The source of her corruption may also be the key to undoing her power.
- Opposition from the Seelie Court: Titania and her allies work tirelessly to resist the Queen’s influence.
- Limited Influence on the Material Plane: Though she can tempt and manipulate, her direct power in the mortal world is weaker than in the Feywild.